2021-nfl Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Tell us how you really feel, Woody
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson put head coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas on notice — while also putting QB Zach Wilson on blast — during a red carpet interview at last night’s NFL Honors awards show....

Kadarius Toney almost made it through Super Bowl Opening Night without saying something stupid
The Kansas City Chiefs allowed Kadarius Toney to board their charter flight to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. With only one game remaining on the schedule, the Chiefs have no reason to limit the pool of players available to play on Sunday. Even if that player disputed the reason he was listed as inac...

Marquez Valdes-Scantling came up clutch for the Chiefs
A lot went right for the Kansas City Chiefs during their Divisional Round victory against the Buffalo Bills. They rushed for 146 yards on 6.1 yards per carry. As a unit, their pass catchers averaged 12.6 yards per reception. Per Next Gen Stats, Patrick Mahomes completed three deep passes in a game f...

Easton Stick might want to get used to losing
In the second consecutive season of many NFL teams having a revolving door at quarterback, Easton Stick is one of the latest unproven backups thrust into a starting gig....

C.J. Stroud has the Texans at .500 with his cool, calm, and historic play
C.J. Stroud is making it look easy. As we’ve seen firsthand, many recent rookie quarterbacks have struggled as they adjust to the NFL. The QBs atop the 2021 NFL Draft had their bumps, with Mac Jones — who has since twice been benched for Bailey Zappe — looking like the best of that bunch that season...

The San Francisco 49ers are too injury-prone to trade Trey Lance
The reactionary nature of the sports media has foisted Trey Lance on the trading block after the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft fell to the third spot on the San Francisco 49ers QB depth chart. Losing any quarterback competition to Sam Darnold is perilous for your career — especially if it...
![Aaron Rodgers tweaked his calf, called it a day [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/65e7e3bfc3e34d2e7d83535318dc0550.jpg)
Aaron Rodgers tweaked his calf, called it a day [Update]
Aaron Rodgers appeared to tweak something during warmups at the New York Jets’ OTA in Florham Park, N.J., on Tuesday. ...

So you traded the No. 1 pick — now what, Chicago?
The Chicago Bears failed in the most ideal way possible last season. They finished with the worst record in the NFL, and still found a way to unleash breathtaking athleticism from Justin Fields. ...

How’d giving away garbage bags full of draft picks work out for these NFL teams?
The NFL Draft is easily the second-most important event on the league’s annual calendar, with most teams that privately know they won’t be close to winning the Super Bowl prepping for the three-day event. Yet, there are still plenty of teams who don’t take an active role in the draft. In each of the...

Did Ryan Leaf just offer the best explanation for Russell Wilson's precipitous decline?
One of the biggest mysteries from the 2022 NFL season was “What the hell happened to Russell Wilson?” This was a conundrum that not even the Scooby Doo gang could solve. Danger-Russ was supposed to help the Denver Broncos compete with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West, ...

Nick Bolton cements himself as the next great young NFL linebacker
Andy Reid broke into coaching in the college ranks, spending a decade on recruiting trails and visiting high schools around America hoping to find the next great offensive lineman. His final position in the collegiate ranks was at Missouri, which wasn’t a great team during Reid’s three seasons in Co...

How enticing are each of the offensive coordinator openings?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. Leftwich just finished up his fourth season as Tampa’s OC, having reached the playoffs each of the last three seasons — or every season with Tom Brady at quarterback. However, despite the playoff berth, 2022 was hard to watch. The ...

There is no circumstance where Brian Daboll wins Coach of the Year
The biggest lies in human history are as follows: ...

Under the Coaching Tree: Ranking the Top 10 Coaching Trees in NFL history
Ho ho ho, folks! Christmas is here, and good ol’ jolly St. Nick is heading down the chimney with exactly what you asked for. If you’re an NFL head coach though, that probably means he’s headed down the chimney with a talented assistant to put on your staff to make you look even better. Until they le...

Playoffs?! Yes, the Jets and Jags have a shot at them
The Jacksonville Jaguars vs. the New York Jets is one of those games you’d typically see on the Thursday night NFL schedule, and figure this could be skipped this late in the season. Coming into the season, having that game scheduled on Thursday Night Football in December seemed like a dud. Suddenly...

Week 15 NFL Takeaways: Gut punch losses made the playoff picture more clear
The last four weeks of the NFL regular season have a different meaning to different teams and fanbases. However, the one commonality that all teams share is that the end is nigh. Soon, 18 of the NFL’s 32 franchises will be in team-building mode until post-Labor Day 2023....

The New England Patriots won, but their problems remain the same
It’s easy to laugh when your team is up by two touchdowns. Jokes and giggles are plentiful when the Colt McCoy-led Arizona Cardinals — Kyler Murray left the game after suffering a non-contact injury — turn the ball over on consecutive possessions, the first of which was converted for a touchdown....

Week 12 NFL Takeaways: Big W for team analytics
You remember that silly cheer from high school, “Be aggressive, B.E. aggressive?” In football, that only applies to the players. Please defensive end, bull rush right through the offensive tackle’s heart. But for the coaches the rules are different....

Don’t worry at all about Amon-Ra St. Brown
As fantasy draft season ramps up, there are numerous questionable decisions to be made at every juncture....

Have we learned nothing from Ja’Marr Chase last year?
Before the 2021 NFL season started, before the preseason started, before team minicamps started, from the moment Ja’Marr Chase was drafted, people were calling him a bust. I’m not some saint in this situation either. I wholeheartedly believed that the Bengals should’ve selected Penei Sewell with the...